Single beverage container thermo electric cooler

ABSTRACT

Provided are active thermo electric cooling apparatus for self-contained portable cooling or heating of a single beverage container.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/400,121 filed on Sep. 27, 2016, by Robert D. Battis, et al. titled “Single Beverage Container Thermo Electric Cooler”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a portable thermo electric cooler (“TE cooler”) to cool a person's single beverage when packaged in either a can or bottle or poured into a cup with a lid, designed for the TE cooler.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is no portable TE cooler device currently on the market that allows a person to cool a single beverage contained within a glass bottle, aluminum can, a plastic bottle or even a cardboard container or plastic pouch.

Existing beverage coolers are sized to accept multiple beverage containers such as a six pack size or larger and either use ice to cool or cool using a thermo electric cooling unit. Ice coolers cool the beverages by imbedding the beverages in the melting ice. coolers that use ice are portable but require logistics to replenish the ice and if ice is not available the cooler does not work. Coolers that use a thermo electric cooling unit cool the beverages by circulating air using a fan inside the closed insulated container. This fan circulates air, past the fins on the thermo electric cooling cold plate thereby eventually cooling all beverages in the closed container. These units typically require 12 volts from an automobile to maintain cooled beverages and as a result are not truly portable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Cooling a single beverage contained in its can or bottle or the beverage poured into a cup made of stainless steel, aluminum, glass or plastic, can be accomplished by actively cooling the beverage container or cup using a small thermo electric cooler (TE cooler) powered by a self-contained rechargeable or disposable battery. This apparatus is contained within a small insulated cylinder that provides portable immediate cooling. Portable beverage cooling can be maintained until the battery is depleted, likely about 3 hours, at which point a spare battery can be installed or the installed battery is recharged. The single beverage container thermo electric cooler is simply referred to as the single beverage TE cooler.

The single beverage container TE cooler may take on several forms and physical implementations without deviating from the basic intent of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler that is useful for understanding the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary prior art single stage conventional thermo electric cooling chip, also known as a Peltier element.

FIG. 3 illustrates internal details of the key assembled parts that is useful for understanding the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates details of each key internal part and their assembly that is useful for understanding the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of an optional technique to improve thermal contact with the inserted beverage using curved aluminum shims that is useful for understanding the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates several embodiments of the single beverage TE cooler top to fit different size cans or bottles or a cup made of stainless steel, aluminum or glass that has the optimum fit to the TE cooler that is useful for understanding the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary remote powered version of the single beverage TE cooler convenient for use in an automobile that is useful for understanding the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a much simpler and lower cost version of the single beverage TE cooler, with reduced capabilities that is useful for understanding the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a size and portability comparison between the single beverage TE cooler and the smallest consumer six-pack TE cooled product available in the market that is useful for understanding the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to one having ordinary skill in the art, that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known features may be omitted or simplified so as not to obscure the present invention. Furthermore, reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art single stage conventional Thermo-Electric Cooling (hereinafter, “TEC”) chip 2, also known as a Peltier element. TEC operates according to the Peltier effect. The effect creates a temperature difference by transferring heat between two electrical junctions. A voltage is applied across joined conductors to create an electric current. When the current flows through the junctions of the two conductors, heat is removed at one junction, Cold Side 3, and cooling occurs, while heat is transferred to the opposite junction, Hot Side 4. One or more TEC chips may be combined to form a TEC assembly and an assembly may be combined with other items, such as thermal conducting plate, heat dissipater, battery and case to form a complete system. It is also noteworthy that reversing the direction of current flow in the TEC Chip 2 effectively acts to reverse the direction of heat transfer, so that the cooling apparatus described herein may alternatively operate as a heating apparatus, in many cases.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention single beverage TE cooler, as depicted in FIG. 1, contains an upper body 10 typically made of molded plastic to which is installed a thermally conductive insert 19. After a beverage container or cup is inserted in the thermally conductive insert 19 an insulated top may be slipped on the upper body 10 to thermally insulate the beverage from the environment and reduce the heat load on the internal TEC apparatus. One version of the insulated top, top-small 15 is illustrated in FIG. 1. Other versions of the top, for different size beverage containers are illustrated in FIG. 6. The upper body 10 has a body limit 11 ring near the bottom. This ring limits the depth that a top-large 16 or top-contoured 17 (FIG. 6) can be slipped onto the upper body 10. This assures that the air exhaust ports 20 will remain unobstructed.

In an exemplary embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler the upper body 10 is permanently attached to a lower body 12 (FIG. 1) which contains the cooling mechanism and all supporting elements of the invention. The TEC mechanism, discussed later, cools the thermally conductive insert 19 and in so doing generates heat. This heat requires a directed flow of ambient air through the lower body 12. An embodiment of lower body 12 part has the air inlet ports 21 located mid body (FIG. 1) and the air exhaust ports 20 on the ledge separating the upper and lower body parts. The orientation of exhaust ports above the inlet ports virtually eliminates the hot exhaust air mixing with the ambient air being drawn into the air inlet ports 21. This arrangement maximizes TEC efficiency for the existing ambient air temperature, especially in hot weather. It should be noted that reversing the air flow is as simple as flipping the internal fan with the result that operating efficiency is lowered in hot weather and battery life will therefore be shortened.

In an embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler the lower body 12 (FIG. 1) contains a multifunction control switch 23 which turns the cooler off and turns the cooler on by selecting one of several preprogrammed beverage temperatures. In a more elaborate implementation of temperature control, due to the design of the electronics, temperature may be set anywhere between two limits using a potentiometer or similar electronic control.

In one embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler herein described a comparison between a standard 12 oz beverage and this cooler shows the cooler is only about a third larger than the beverage container. This is illustrated in FIG. 1 with the same scaling between figure parts a) and b) or c).

This embodiment of the invention single beverage TE cooler is illustrated in FIG. 1 and leads to a further embodiment of the design of the TEC and supporting parts within the lower body 12. The layout of these parts is illustrated in FIG. 3. Starting at the top, the thermally conductive insert 19 is in contact with the TEC cold plate 22. Excellent thermal conductivity is assured by using thermal grease or thermal epoxy. The bottom side of the cold plate has one or a plurality of TEC chips 2 attached to the cold side(s) 3 (FIG. 2). The hot side(s) 4 (FIG. 2) of the TEC ship(s) 2 is (are) thermally attached to the TEC heat sink 24 (FIG. 3). This arrangement of cold plate and heat sink with the TEC chip(s) in the middle forms a sandwich with high thermal conductivity on both side of the TEC chip(s) assured by soldering or using thermal grease or thermal epoxy on both sides of the TEC chip(s).

On the lower side of the TEC heat sink 24 is located the PCB 30 (printed circuit board) with all electronic parts located on the lower side of the PCB. Included are electronic parts to control battery voltage to the sensitive electronics, TEC drive current, battery charging and safety watchdog circuitry. Also included on the PCB 30 is the control switch 23 and charging receptacle 41 to allow installed battery charging. The PCB 30 is designed with the other side (opposite the parts side) having a non conductive coating or layer to prevent shorting against the metal of the TEC heat sink 24. The PCB 30 has a center hole. The non conductive side of the PCB forms a simple seal with the bottom side of the TEC heat sink 24. On one edge of the PCB is located the control switch 23 which faces outboard. The slide switch or equivalent is designed with a thumb contact or knob that can be inserted from outside the lower body 12 after assembly of all inner parts to the lower body 12. On the opposite side of the control switch 23 on the PCB 30 is located the battery charging receptacle. This receptacle lines up with a hole in the lower body 12 when assembly is complete.

In the center of the PCB is the Fan 35. The fan is located in the centers of both the PCB 30 and TEC heat sink 24. The fan in contact with the PCB 30 and the PCB 30 being in contact with the TEC heat sink 24 forms a simple air seal. This seal is maintained due to the flatness of surfaces or glue may be used if required.

The lower side of the fan 35 is in contact with the base intake frame 40 in order for the fan to direct the air from the lower pressure base intake frame 40 through the higher pressure TEC heat sink 24. No seal is required between the fan 35 and base intake frame 40 since the base intake frame 40 has open channels and the sandwiched stack of base intake frame 40, fan 35 and TEC heat sink 24/PCB 30 forms a closed cavity in which air cannot circulate but only enter through the air inlet ports 21 on the base intake frame 40 and exit though the fan body 35 through the TEC heat sink 24 channels.

The base intake frame 40 may be designed as approximately a ¼ inch section of the lower body 12 part sandwiched between two adjacent lower body 12 pieces, or may be an internal part in the parts stack up and aligned with holes in the lower body 12 during final assembly.

Below the base intake frame 40 and in contact with it is the batteries holder 45. This holder can accommodate 6 lithium ion batteries, or may be redesigned to hold fewer batteries for reduced operating time. The preferred battery is the lithium ferrous phosphate₄ (LiFePO4) model 18650 which is rechargeable and has a minimum rating of 1350 mAh. Other rechargeable batteries that are smaller may be used but with reduced cooling time. Also, disposable batteries may be used. The batteries holder 45 has a batteries strap 46 attached to it with the strap nested in the center of the holder and with a length of strap extending out one side of the holder. This strap is used to withdraw all six batteries 50 with a single pull from the batteries holder 45.

Below the installed batteries is a plastic removable battery cover 51 with a latch 60 and two molded-in tabs that act as half hinges which interface with a bottom part of the lower body 12.

In an embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler discussed and illustrated in FIG. 3 further details in the design and stack-up of these parts is illustrated in FIG. 4. Starting from the top and working down in order of assembly the top part is the thermally conductive insert 19 which is designed to be flexible allowing slightly different diameter beverage containers of paper, plastic, metal or glass to be inserted while maintaining thermal contact between the beverage container and thermally conductive insert 19 surface. This insert may be made of but not limited to a stretchable foam type material loaded with metal particles or foam with a wire mesh surface that stretches. In a further innovative approach the insert may use a foam backing with a surface made of a plurality of thin aluminum curved shims 60 (FIG. 5) which due to their vertical overlapping maintains thermal contact between the beverage container surface and all shims while accommodating different diameter beverage containers. These vertical aluminum curved shims 60 may be modified to include a bottom curved part designed to fit on top of the bottom part of the thermally conductive insert 19. And in a further embodiment of the concept, the new bottom curved part of the aluminum curved shims 60 may be placed on top of and in direct contact with the TEC cold plate 22 by eliminating the bottom part of the thermally conductive insert 19.

Next in the stack-up illustrated in FIG. 4 is the TEC cold plate 22. This plate is a copper or aluminum disk which can be flat or incorporate a top bulge. This bulge is optional and serves to reduce the thickness of the bottom part of the thermally conductive insert 19. To the bottom of the TEC cold plate 22 is (are) attached the cold side(s) 3 of the TEC chip(s) 2 (FIG. 2) using solder, thermal grease or thermal epoxy specially designed for this application. In addition to the TEC chip(s) there is a thermistor 25 or other temperature monitoring part attached to the TEC cold plate 22. This thermistor provides an input to the microprocessor on the PCB 30. The TEC cold plate 22 may be manufactured by any method to include but not limited to stamping, machining, sintering, laser cutting or a combination of these.

Next in the stack-up illustrated in FIG. 4 is the TEC heat sink 24 which is an aluminum or copper part having a flat side next to the hot side(s) 4 of the TEC chip(s) 2. The TEC hot side(s) is (are) bonded similar to the top cold side(s). In addition to the TEC chip(s) there is a thermistor 25 or other temperature monitoring part attached to the TEC heat sink 24. This thermistor provides an input to the microprocessor on the PCB 30. The bottom side of the TEC heat sink 24 has approximately 12 sets of radial fins about 0.2 inches high. These fins radiate heat into the air stream by convection. The air stream is created by the fan 35 below with the fan directing the air up and into each group of TEC heat sink fins 24 to corresponding air exhaust ports 20 on the lower body housing 12. The TEC heat sink 24 may be manufactured by any method to include but not limited to stamping, machining, sintering, laser cutting or a combination of these.

The PCB 30 (FIG. 4) is a conventional round hard PCB with conventional electronic parts. The PCB 30 has a center hole designed to allow free flow of air from the fan 35 below. The PCB contains a limited capability small microprocessor with support electronics. In addition it accepts as inputs the thermistor 25 signals from the TEC cold plate 22 and TEC heat sink 24 using these signals to control cooling temperature and to form a safety watchdog function to ensure operation of the single beverage TE cooler always remains safe without overheat.

Next in the stack-up illustrated in FIG. 4 is the base intake frame 40. This is a piece of molded plastic with 8 channels and a center cut-out region sized to fit the blade diameter of Fan 35 above. Next is the batteries holder 45. This is a piece of molded plastic with 3 deep channels to accommodate 2 LiPO4 batteries in each channel.

In describing one embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler, details common in the industry for aligning parts, attaching parts, wiring and making electrical connections have been omitted as a result of being common practice and widely known.

An embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3-4 will cool a beverage when oriented in any manner, even upside down, as long as the air intake ports are unobstructed. However, higher efficiency is achieved when the unit is operated upright, especially in very hot weather due to the location of the air exhaust ports 20 being above the air inletpPorts 21 (FIGS. 1, 3). With this arrangement of the ports there is little mixing of the hot exhaust air with the cooler intake air when the unit is operated upright.

An embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler illustrated in FIG. 1 shows a top-small 15. This top fits industry standard oz cans 12. Other size tops may be created to accommodate taller beverage containers. FIG. 6 illustrates two other top sizes and includes the top-small 15 for comparison. The top-large 16 fits 18 oz cans and the top-contoured 17 fits 18 oz plastic or glass bottles. A larger top may be used with a smaller beverage container. When the single beverage TE cooler is not in use the top may be stored in place on the upper body 10.

Wherein the existing embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler has focused on cooling beverages it may be used in other ways, for example to cool medicine or baby food.

In a further embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler the cooling function may be reversed and a beverage or food item heated. This is accomplished by adding circuitry to reverse the current in the TEC chip(s) 2 (FIGS. 2-4, 8). This heating mode may be controlled by adding a cool/hot switch to the PCB 30 and providing access to the switch through the wall of the lower body 12. This heating mode may be not only a convenience but a necessity, for example warming baby food when traveling.

The embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3-5 may be scaled to accommodate other beverage container diameters and heights. And in a further embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler concept a larger diameter single beverage TE cooler size may be provided with an auxiliary thermally conductive sleeve to be used for smaller beverage containers in order to fill the gap between the smaller beverage container diameter and much larger single beverage TE cooler diameter.

In a further embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler invention an auxiliary stand-off holder may be provided which would allow a particular large size configuration of the single beverage TE cooler invention to be supported in an automobile standard cup holder. This auxiliary stand-off holder may be designed as 2 open frame plastic cylinders with different diameters joined together. The bottom smaller cylinder would fit snugly in an automobile standard cup holder while the larger top cylinder would hold the single beverage TE cooler in its normal upright position. The open frame design of the auxiliary stand-off holder would ensure the air ports on the single beverage TE cooler would not be blocked.

In a further embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler invention an auxiliary beverage cup with tight fitting lid, may be provided. This cup would be designed with an optimum fit for insertion into the upper body 10 and the lid may incorporate a sipping port with a valve to prevent spills. This auxiliary cup may then be used to transfer and cool beverages from non standard or larger beverage containers.

In a further embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler invention the batteries holder 45 (FIG. 3) together with the lower part of the lower body 12 may be designed as a separate removable part as illustrated in FIG. 7. This would allow the remote powered single beverage TE cooler, with smaller size to be used in an automobile and powered from the 12 v car battery. And when needed, the battery unit may again be installed on the single beverage TE cooler for portable and independent powered operation.

Separating the lower body 12 into 2 parts (FIG. 7) results in lower body top 70 and a lower body bottom 71, with the lower body bottom being detachable 72. The body split is accomplished just below the base intake frame 40 (FIG. 3). As a result of this separation battery male and female contacts must be added to this interface using common practice methods. These methods would include protection of the contacts when the 2 parts of the base are separated.

Providing the capability to separate the batteries from the rest of the TE cooler system affects the electronics controlling the charging receptacle 41 (FIG. 1). Using common electronic circuit design principles the electronics can be designed to operate the TE cooler with or without the battery installed using the single charging receptacle 41.

In a further embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler invention the premium design with all-encompassing capabilities as exemplified by FIGS. 1 and 3-5 and accompanying write-ups may be advantageously simplified with a concomitant reduction in cost. This however comes with a reduction in capabilities, performance and operating time. This simplified version is ideally suited as marketing give-away or as a lowest cost consumer product. FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of this simplest concept, which retains a basic cooling only function, limited cooling time and extended time to cool. Illustrated in FIG. 8 is the simplest design encompassing the following changes relative to the premium design (FIGS. 1, 3):

-   -   a) Upper body 10 and lower body 12 replaced with a single body         75. The molded plastic body 75 acts as both a structural support         for the single beverage TE cooler and thermal insulation for the         TEC cold plate 22. The body 75 part is rigid which means its         selected diameter will be a compromise between a larger diameter         to fit more beverage containers and a loose fit for some which         reduces cooling efficiency. This situation is mitigated by using         the auxiliary beverage cup as previously discussed. The one         piece body 75 part simplifies single beverage TE cooler         assembly.     -   b) The thermally conductive insert 19 is eliminated. This         results in a slower time to cool a beverage and lowers TEC         efficiency due to the small gap between beverage container and         inner wall of body 75.     -   c) Lower body 12 eliminated which means air exhaust ports 20 are         not directed up but radially outward just above air inlet ports         21, but rotated so as not to line up vertically. This means that         under the condition of no ambient breeze there will be some         mixing of ambient air intake with the hot exhaust air. This will         have the effect of lowering unit cooling efficiency.     -   d) Possible reduction in size and/or number of TEC chips 2 in         order to be compatible with reduced battery capability. This         will improve battery life but slow the cooling of a beverage.         Adjusting the size and/or number of TEC chips is an engineering         trade-off between battery life and beverage cooling time.     -   e) Modify control switch 23 to provide only one level of         cooling. This simplifies the electronics and reduces the         complexity of the PCB 30.     -   f) Further reduce complexity of PCB 30 by eliminating micro         controller approach and avoid its programming. Eliminate         beverage heating function. Eliminate the safety watchdog         circuitry which can modify operating performance and replace         with simple on-off control to eliminate overheating.     -   g) Substitute the preferred replaceable LiFePO4 model 18650         battery for a smaller rechargeable battery with less mAh         capacity and design these batteries as non-replaceable. Making         the batteries non replaceable eliminates the battery cover 51,         latch 60, batteries holder 45, battery strap 46 and simplifies         the body 75 part as well as single beverage TE cooler assembly.     -   h) Making the batteries 50 non replaceable reduces final         assembly cost of the single beverage TE cooler by allowing the         assemblies to be glued or ultrasonically welded thus eliminating         fasteners.     -   i) Eliminate top-small 15 insulated cap.

An embodiment of the simplest and lowest cost single beverage TE cooler illustrated in FIG. 8 may be modified in various ways to add capabilities greater than the simplest but less than the premium design (FIGS. 1, 3). The parts identified in FIG. 8 having the same call outs as in FIGS. 1 and 3 do not necessarily imply that these parts are identical in design, but only in function.

The embodiment of the premium single beverage TE cooler illustrated in FIG. 1 is only about 1/3 larger than a standard consumer 12 oz beverage can. This size is much smaller than the smallest TEC multi-container available on the market. But more important the single beverage TE cooler invention contains unique engineering design principles and elements not incorporated in any existing commercial or prior art product. And in addition, the single beverage TE cooler is portable. This size difference and portability convenience is illustrated in FIG. 9. In addition, FIG. 9 includes the smallest minimally capable single beverage TE cooler for size comparison.

The embodiment of the single beverage TE cooler illustrated in FIGS. 1, 7 and 8 external surfaces can serve as an advertising platform to advertise a company, a brand of beverage, a society or charity, etc.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. A thermal electric cooling (“TEC”) system for cooling a single beverage, comprising: one or more TEC chips with a cold side in thermally conductive communication with a beverage container envelope and a TEC hot side in thermally conductive communication with a hot side radiator, with the hot side radiator heat removed/controlled by a fan expelling ambient air, the TEC chips further controlled by a controller unit operatively attached to a battery, the controller unit further comprising a fixed or variable temperature setting for modulating the current flow from the battery to the TEC chips.
 2. The thermal electric cooling (“TEC”) system for cooling a single beverage of claim 1, wherein the beverage container may be any shape container.
 3. The thermal electric cooling (“TEC”) system for cooling a single beverage of claim 2, further comprising a removable top, lid, made of any material.
 4. The thermal electric cooling (“TEC”) system for cooling a single beverage of claim 1, wherein the beverage container is separated from the battery pack and the beverage container is powered by an external battery
 5. The thermal electric cooling (“TEC”) system for cooling a single beverage of claim 1, wherein the beverage container is powered by a dc power source.
 6. The thermal electric cooling (“TEC”) system for cooling a single beverage of claim 1, wherein the controller unit is a simple electric circuit.
 7. The thermal electric cooling (“TEC”) system for cooling a single beverage of claim 1, wherein the beverage being cooled is medicine,
 8. A thermal electric cooling (“TEC”) system for cooling a single beverage, comprising: one or more TEC chips with a cold side in thermally conductive communication with a beverage container envelope and a TEC hot side in thermally conductive communication with a hot side radiator, the TEC chips further controlled by a controller unit operatively attached to a battery, the controller unit further comprising a fixed or variable temperature setting for modulating the current flow from the battery to the TEC chips.
 9. A thermal electric heating (“TEC”) system for heating a single beverage, comprising: one or more TEC chips with a hot side in thermally conductive communication with a beverage container envelope and a TEC cold side in thermally conductive communication with a cold side radiator, with the cold side radiator controlled by a fan expelling ambient air, the TEC chips further controlled by a controller unit operatively attached to a battery, the controller unit further comprising a fixed or variable temperature setting for modulating the current flow from the battery to the TEC chips. 